The actress, who is married to Castaway actor Tom Hanks, revealed the news in a statement on Tuesday. As well as having both breasts removed, she has also undergone reconstructive surgery.

"I have taken a leave from the play Fish in the Dark to deal with a personal health issue. Last week, with my husband by my side, and with the love and support of family and friends, I underwent a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction for breast cancer after a diagnosis of invasive lobular carcinoma," she said in a statement to People magazine. "I am recovering and most importantly, expected to make a full recovery. Why? Because I caught this early, have excellent doctors and because I got a second opinion."

'I have taken a leave from the play Fish in the Dark to deal with a personal health issue'

The 58-year-old had an underlying condition of LCIS - Fish in the Dark - for a number of years which was monitored through annual mammograms and breast MRIs. After two surgical biopsies recently, PLCIS - pleomorphic carcinoma in situ - was discovered but the pathology showed no sign of cancer. However a friend recommended she get a second opinion, which revealed that cancer was present.

"I share this to educate others that a second opinion is critical to your health," she continued. "You have nothing to lose if both opinions match up for the good, and everything to gain if something that was missed is found, which does happen. Early diagnosis is key."

Rita, who has starred in movies including Sleepless in Seattle, Runaway Bride and It's Complicated, thanked her husband of 26 years for being her rock during such a traumatic time.

"I feel blessed to have a loving, supportive husband, family, friends and doctors and that I am the beneficiary of advances in the field of breast cancer and reconstruction," she said. "I am getting better every day and look forward to renewed health."